The term health is ambiguous. People will interpret being healthy in many different ways, yet the primary goal is to achieve wellness. Wellness is being at your optimal peak of mental and physical health. For starters I am a young adult engaged in a heavy school load along with internships and grading papers. It’s tough balancing everything and then all of a sudden exercising for an hour and eating a salad for dinner. Trust me, I know. It is a constant battle of “should I just grab McDonalds on my way out or should I meal prep for the week?” Think about short term versus long term goals. As soon as I laid eyes on Teyana Taylor dancing around in a bra and thong on th
e “Fade” video by Kanye West, I suddenly became aware that this whole health thing is going to be harder than I thought. As amazing as she looks, she didn’t get that way overnight. She is a gifted dancer that engages in heavy cardio and consistent practice. Sounds easy thought, right? Wrong, so wrong. I find myself running every morning and asking myself what the hell I’m doing. What is this all for? Do I really need to look like Teyana or Beyonce? No. Do I need to be healthy for my sake and to look like Angela Basset at 58 years old? Yes. It’s about goals. Short term goals involve exercising three times a week for 6 months. Long term goals are fitting into a size 6 by the end of the year.
I’m going to throw this out there, because as a thicker woman I find it extremely hard to believe that I will ever be a size 6 or “thinner” for that matter. Wellness isn’t about perfection, or what society views as “the standard”. Wellness involves an internal perception of what you deem healthy. It’s a personal journey. My personal journey was to exercise more and eat more consciously, not because it’s convenient. Whether I lose 10 pounds or not, I am sticking to my goals. That’s true wellness. Life is as beautiful of a picture as the way you paint it. I like to think of wellness and mindfulness as twin energies. Being mindful of what you put in your body, how you use your words and the kind of spiritedness that you bring is vital. Healthy living is a choice and what you do with that choice is to your discretion. The important thing to acknowledge about wellness is that is a revolving door. As we grow, we become more mindful which allows for better wellness behaviors. Stay healthy and be the best version of yourself. Document your journey and see how far you have come over a few months. Laugh more and complain less. Eat nutrient rich foods and take a walk. Breathe in positivity and exhale negativity. You’ll see a change, I promise. Be blessed and never stressed and remember, you poppin’!